<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000;">The World Bank has approved USD 300 million loan for Bangladesh to strengthen its local government institutions to respond to the Covid 19 pandemic and improve preparedness to future shocks benefitting about 40 million urban residents. The funding will help 329 municipalities and 10 city corporations to improve critical urban services delivery of facilities. It will also help in infrastructure, local economic recovery, and preparedness to climate impacts, disaster and future disease outbreak. The project will support labour intensive public works to restore the livelihoods of poor and vulnerable people, mostly working in the informal sector who were most affected by the COVID 19 restrictions and lockdowns. <br />''<br />''World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan Mercy Tembon said that the project will help the cities and towns to build back better as they recover from the pandemic and prepare for future shocks including climate change, disasters and disease outbreak.<br />''<br />''The World Bank funding will help install community hand-washing stations and toilets and improve sanitization in municipality-owned or operated markets, burial grounds, and public offices. The project will help the residents have better access to municipality-operated health clinics. It will facilitate vaccine registrations for disadvantaged people and conduct awareness programs on COVID-19 protocols, vaccines, and climate risks, said the World Bank release on Friday.<br />''<br />''The project funding will help create 1.5 million work-days and employment for 10,000 women under the public work scheme. The project will help strengthen local institutions through training, technical support, and set up a web-based platform for better coordination and exchange of information during emergencies. It will be implemented in all eight divisions of Bangladesh namely Barisal, Chattogram, Dhaka, Khulna, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Rangpur, and Sylhet.<br />''<br />''The credit is from World Bank's International Development Association (IDA) which provides concessional funding with a 30 year repayment period including 5 year grace period. Bangladesh currently has the largest ongoing IDA program totaling over $14.15 billion. </span>